I continue to be one of the dwindling daily hard copy newspaper readers left in America.  It must be hereditary as my father subscribed to both the Minneapolis Tribune morning newspaper and the Minneapolis Star evening newspaper when I was growing up.  I can remember vividly coming home from elementary school and spreading the morning paper on the floor so that I could read the sports section. . . . and, about the time I was done the afternoon paperboy would deliver the evening edition and I could do it all over again.

 

Reading the newspaper cover to cover is just something that I’ve always done and I credit it for keeping me up to date on the current events of the community, state, nation, and world.  I don’t know when I picked up this habit, but as far back as I can remember I also picked a lengthy obituary or two out of the, what used to be dozens of them, simply to read.  Reading those obituaries of unknown people gave me an apreciation of all different occupations, hobbies, and lives that my fellow Americans lived. . . .  I read obituaries of people who overcame incredible hardships and obituaries of others who accomplished great things.  Quite frankly, reading those obituaries helped me understand the differences and similarities that many of us possess.  I would contend, learning about the lives of others, made me a better neighbor and community member.

 

While I’m one of the few that continues to get a daily hard copy of the local newspaper, that doesn’t mean that those newspapers are not still out there.  However, the number of hard copy daily newspaper subscriptions in America has dwindled in the internet age  —  from a high of 63.3 million daily in 1984 to a subscription number of only 24.3 million today.  That’s a decline of 62%. . . and it’s even worse, penetration wise, when you consider that the United States population has increased from 232 million in 1984 to over 336 million in 2020.

 

So, that extrapolates to the fact that in 1984 27.2% of Americans had a hard copy newspaper subscription as compared to 2020 when that rate had dropped all the way to  7.2%.

 

But, people are getting news somewhere and families want to publish the obituaries of loved ones to memorialize the fact that a life has been lived.  For over 20 years Legacy.com has been powering obituaries with the partnership of newspapers onto the world wide web.  I recently checked and found out here that Legacy.com is, according to Google Analytics, receiving 70  million unique page views per month.  They are truly becoming the “Go-To” source for obituaries across America.

 

A recent online visit to Legacy.com by me showed that the company is also becoming much more than just local obituaries.  From this page I was able to see a listing with photos and video of well-known deaths of the past week.

 

I was also able to see that Legacy.com has calculators for finding funeral pricing options, a sortable data base for finding funeral homes and cremation providers, and a section designed for those that may need help in settling an estate.

 

I also realized that over 3 million users per month search the funeral home directory.  I put our local Zip Code into the directory and, sure enough, our funeral home information popped up from that.  On this page you have the ability to control your brand by claiming your listing and making it personal.

 

So, you may not be reading a hard copy of the local paper when you look for obituaries anymore, but, future consumers are finding their way to the pages of Legacy.com to read obituaries.  Don’t let the opportunity to connect with these people pass you by. . . . claim your listing today.

 

Obituary content Related — The new Tribute Technology “Tribute Obituary Writer”

 

More news from the world of Death Care:

• The pros and cons of using green funeral technology.  mfidie.com
• FuneralContinuingEduction.com expands offerings to Texas professionals.  PR Newswire Press Release
• Barbara Condon calls it a career after 40+ years of service.  The Observer (NJ)

 

Enter your e-mail below to join the 3,213 others who receive Funeral Director Daily articles daily: